C-Forum

I'm a 40 year veteran of kayaking and starting to have an interest in OC-1. Rivers I will be paddling are Tellico, section 4, ocoee, tallulah, cheoah etc..3-4 stuff. Don't have the patience to demo. I usually buy, try and sell. Last year I bought a Mohawk maxim. Way too unstable for me. More swims than I care to divulge. Then I paddled an octane 91. Way too stable and heavy for me. I'm 5-10, 190 lbs. How does the option compare? Or l'edge. Etc.

The Option and L’edge are excellent choices for your height weight and rivers. They are not as stable as a 91 but boof great and hold a ferry. The Lite L’Edge is really fun with its lighter weight than a 91 or Option. I have had all of them.

If you want to go old school design with new school materials, check out the "Echoee" as well (based on the Ocoee of course...).

I've paddled the Option and original L'Edge and liked them both, but really like the lighter weight of the Echoee and responsiveness.

I'm roughly your size (a few inches shorter, a few pounds lighter, but not by much of either).

Option is definitely more stable than a Maxim. The Option's width is a major factor in that. The Option also doesn't have as sharp of chines, so it's more forgiving when tilted the wrong way. It's also easier to paddle flat. You're much less likely to accidentally tilt it and carve off a surf wave or flip in a seam. A local paddler paddled a Maxim for several years and then bought an Option. You never see him in the Maxim anymore and he's a much better and more confident paddler now. The other side of that though is if you get good enough to be a solid paddler in a Maxim, you'll be able to paddle just about any boat.

Since the Echoee was mentioned, I will put in a plug for my buddies at MT Canoes. They are doing a version of the Ocoee called the FH, after Frankie Hubbard. They also do a version called the MO (modified Ocoee) which is 15" shorter. I have one of the lightest FH's at 19 pounds and another around 30. They can do most any layup you could want. Check out their website... Jeff and John do really high level work and have a line on integral graphics that are amazing. http://www.mtcanoes.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

How does the modified Ocoee FH paddle Allen compared to the regular FH?

Wendy- Just to be clear, I don't have a MO but have jumped in one numerous times over the last two seasons. Also, some background: I owned 2 plastic Ocoees since around 2000 then transitioned to my 2 FHs in the last 5 years. I am 6'3" and around 190-195. Though I am one of the oldest OC1ers in the larger group of 18 or so active Montana OCers, my saddles are just a hair above 6". Most everyone else uses an 8" saddle and the MOs have 8"ers. My time in the MO has been shaky, especially when getting on surf waves. 15" out of the MIDDLE of an Ocoee is quite a bit of stability and floatation! Given more time and a lower saddle, I think I would quickly come to love it. If you go to their website, check out the instagram option- 3 rows down in the photos is the latest MO with Viking ship graphics. The local legend Brandon Salalyi is the new owner. He is almost exactly my size. He was one of 5 locals that did the Selway at 4' last year, all in FHs or MOs. If you don't know the reputation of the Selway, it is a significant feat. To sum up my thoughts, with a lower saddle, medium to smaller people would have no problem with the MO, especially if they have some time in an Ocoee. People my size would have a steeper learning curve.

Thanks Alan for your feedback on the MO. The Royalex Ocoee was my favorite Royalex boat in 50 years of paddling. Now that my height has shrunk even more from age I need short boats so I can carry them, hence the interest in the MO. I think I will stick with my plastic modern designs for their length, but glad these classics are being made.

I have been paddling an Option exclusively for the past two years. Solid performance on both rivers and creeks. Not boxy like the L'Edge or Octane. Accelerates and tracks well. A dry runner with soft, forgiving chines. Boofs well. Not very much to dislike. I'm 5'9", 165 lb. No plans to change boats.